I am in the process of restyling our booth for selling our painted furniture and other items so I’ve been busy curating all kinds of goodies to go with the new style: French Country/Farmhouse/Cottage and anything that will blend well with that look.

I have been learning a lot about this type of style, and the more I learn, the more I love it.

For instance:

I found this metal container. It shouted out, “I know I’m dated, but buy me and transform me into the look you want.” So I did.

I knew the look I wanted but didn’t know how to go about achieving it. So, I googled it. I came across an interesting book that was recently published that explains 70 DIY French Country Decor projects. It was on Amazon, so I bought it.

Title: French Vintage Decor

Author: Jamie Lundstrom

Thanks to a YouTube video I watched, Christina, from DIY Mommy.com, shows a project from the book, creating a DIYFrench Country basket! https://youtu.be/078L3KpZK54

I loved it and will try it on a basket, but today I wanted to try it on the metal container. I love the final result!

As a bonus, Christina shares a video of a friend that created a concrete bowl-another tutorial in the book. You see why I bought the book?

Read the text on Christina’s video and you’ll find a link to the book on Amazon if you are interested in purchasing the book and a link to the concrete bowl DIY video.

So now, here are the steps I took to transform an outdated metal container into a cool French Country one I will be selling in my newly restyled booth.

I used Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint, so I know it works great. You can probably use other types of paint, too. Let each coat dry before moving on to the next.

Step 1:

Prep is important. I cleaned the container thoroughly with a vinegar/water 50/50 mix.

Step 2:

I painted the whole container with one coat of “French Roast”, a dark brown. It’s ok that it doesn’t cover completely. That just adds to the old world charm.

Step 3:

I then did a wash with “Zinc”, which is a gray/beige color. To do the wash, I painted it on, then took a rag and wiped it down. It was drying fast, so I also used a very slightly damp baby wipe.

Step 4:

I then drybrushed the whole piece with “January”, a true white.

Step 5:

This step involves using white wax. You can buy it or make your own by adding some white paint to wax. I had a can of Briwax Liming Wax, so I used that. I covered the whole piece. Then, after letting it sit a few minutes, I buffed it by hand.

And that’s it! Here’s my finished container, staged with a flower arrangement.

I can’t wait to get my book in the mail to see what else I can make. I know I want to make a concrete bowl for sure, but there is a video of that to watch!